Boltless clip



Aug. 30, 1966 E. w. SHEWELL 3,269,338

BOLTLESS CLIP Filed Oct. 50, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l 20 r 77 INVENTOR.

, k 6 EARL w. SHJTCWELL i I BY v Agent Aug. 30, 1966 E. w. SHEWELL BOLTLESS CLIP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 50, 1964 INVENTOR. EARL VV. S HEWELL am Qvls Agent United States Patent 3,269,338 BOLTLESS CLIP Earl W. Shewell, Hamilton, Ontario, (Ianada, assignor to Arcan Eastern Limited, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, a company of Canada Filed Oct. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 407,726 10 Claims. (Cl. 108-144) 3 which can only be assembled and erected at an increased labour cost and which may require the use of special tools.

Other clips of the boltless type obviate the alignment and special tool problems, but their use produces a shelving structure having poor rigidity and stability characteristics unless a multiplicity of cross brace members are used, which adds to the cost of the structure and hinders access to the shelves.

According to the present invention, the foregoing difliculties can be reduced by providing a shelf supporting boltless clip comprising an angle having a pair of vertical edges and including a hook-shaped lug extending from one of the vertical edges of the angle and engageable with a post of the prefabricated shelving structure, and also including a U-shaped channel extending from the other of the vertical edges of the angle and engageable with the post. The clip is so arranged that the engagement of the hook-shaped lug with the post of the prefabricated shelving structure provides vertical support for the clip and in turn provides vertical support for a shelf of the prefabricated shelving structure, and at the same time provides uni-directional lateral support for the clip and for the shelf. Further, the engagement of the U-shaped channel with the post provides lateral support for the clip and for the shelf in a direction at right angles to the uni-directional support provided by the hook-like lug; the hookshaped lug and U-shaped channel inter-acting with the shelf and post to provide lateral support and rigidity to the post thereby substantially obviating deflection of the post under load conditions.

The shelf supporting boltless clip, because of the vertical and lateral support it provides, results in a prefabricated shelving structure having greatly improved rigidity and stability characteristics, and therefore, although no bolts are used to support the shelves, the need for cross braces is minimzed, resulting in cost savings for both material and labour when assembling a prefabricated shelving structure including the clip of the present invention.

The shelves are independently mounted on the posts thereby permitting facile removal of the shelves or adjustment of the shelves to the desired vertical height or spacmg.

Another advantage derived from the use of the clip, apart from the improved support it provides and the simple assembly it allows, is to be found in the neat, eyeappealing shelf supporting structure its use provides. The elimination of protruding bolt heads and of braces enhances the aesthetic quality of the shelving structure and thereby improves the value of the structure commercially.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a shelf structure embodying the boltless clip of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view, partly broken away,

P CC

of boltless clips secured to post members, one of the clips supporting a shelf;

FIGURE 3 is a section taken across four post members arranged in back-to-back relationship and having a pair of boltless clips secured thereto; and

FIGURE 4 is an elevation, partly in section, taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of the drawings" Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, a prefabricated shelving section generally designated 1 comprises a number of posts 2, a number of clips 3 connected to the posts, and a number of shelves 4 connected to the posts by means of the clips.

As shown in FIGURE 3, each post 2, when taken along a cross-section perpendicular to its longitudinal axis, has the shape of an angle and has a long leg 5 and a short irregular leg 6. In the long leg is a series of round bolt holes 7 having their centres lying on a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the post 2. Also, in the long leg is a series of rectangularly shaped slots 8 having their centres lying on a line parallel to the centre line of the bolt holes 7. The short leg 6 also contains a series of bolt holes 9 having their centres on a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the post. The short leg is bent at 10 to form an offset portion 11 at the. free end of the leg, the plane of the portion 11 being parallel to the plane of the remainder of the short leg 6.

As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the shelf supporting clip 3 has generally the shape of a right angle and comprises two planes 12 and 13 each having a flat vertical edge 14 and 15 respectively, the plane 12 having a lug or hook-like portion 16 forming an extension of the plane beyond the edge 14, and the plane 13 having a U-shaped channel portion 17 extending perpendicularly from the plane 13 and beyond its edge 15. Further, the lug or hook-like portion 16 has a flat horizontal shelf supporting top edge 18 adjoining and perpendicular to the vertical edge 14 of the plane 12, and the U-shaped channel portion 17 has a horizontal top edge 17a that also acts as a shelf supporting edge.

To connect a clip 3 to a post 2, the U-shaped channel portion 17 is brought into engagement with the offset portion 11 of the short leg 6 of the post, and as the offset portion slides into the channel, the lug or hook-like portion 16 of the clip extends through one of the rectangular slots 8 in the long leg 5 of the post 2, then the clip 3 is slid downwardly to allow an upwardly extending vertical slot or bight 19 to engage the lower edge 20 of the slot 8. As shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 the bight 19 has been designed to allow it to engage the lower edge 20 of each of two adjacent slots 8 in adjacent post 2 when one shelving section 1 is connected to an adjacent section. When the clip 3 is connected to the post 2 a space is formed between the post and the vertical edge 14 of the clip and the opposing post wall, and a like space 15a is formed between the vertical edge 15 of the clip and the opposing post wall.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, a shelf 4 comprises a rectangular sheet 21 bent along its peripheral edge downwardly and inwardly to form a pair of walls 22, 22 and a pair of flanges 23, 23 parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shelf, and a pair of walls 24, 24 and a pair of flanges 25, 25 parallel to the transverse axis of the shelf. As shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, at each corner of the shelf 4 the wall 22 and its flange 23, and the wall 24 and its flange 25 are partially cut away to form a space 26 for receiving a clip 3. Also, as shown in FIGURE 4, the cutting away of the walls 22 and 24 provides a load hearing edge 27 at each corner for supporting the shelf. Further, at each corner of the shelf 4 an angle 28 having an edge 27a is welded or fixed in a suitable manner to the inner surface of the wall 22 and the inner surface of the wall 24 to provide reinforcing for the corner and to extend the surface of the load bearing edge 27 by the addition of the edge 27a, [and thereby reduce the bearing pressure on the total supporting edge at each corner.

To assemble a section of the prefabricated shelving structure one clip 3 is connected in the manner hereinbefore described to each of four posts 2. Then, a corner of the shelf 4 is placed against one of the posts 2 and above the clip 3 connected to that post, the corner of the shelf fitting into the angle of the post formed by its legs 5 and 6. Next, the corner of the shelf is slid downwardly so that the walls 22 and 24, and the angle 28, forming the corner of the shelf, slide into the spaces 14a and 15a between the vertical edges of the clip 3 and the post 2, and the load bearing edges 27 and 27a come to rest upon the shelf supporting edge 18 of the hook-like portion 16 of the clip 3, and also come to rest upon the shelf supporting edge 17a of the U-shaped channel portion of the clip 3. When each corner of the shelf 4 has been connected in the above described fashion to a post 2 by means of a clip 3, the shelf is supported laterally and vertically to provide a structure having strength, rigidity and stability. By connecting additional clips in the like manner to the same four posts, several shelves may be removably secured to the posts one above the other as desired. As shown in FIGURE 3, the free end of the U-shaped channel portion 17 of the clip 3 is substantially ,co-planar with and does not protrude beyond the plane of the outer surface of the leg 6 of the post 2 since the U-shaped channel 17 engages the offset portion 11 of the leg 6. Thus, several sections of the prefabricated shelving structure may be connected back-to-back by securing adjacent posts 2 together by a number of bolt and nut combinations 29 in the bolt holes 9 in the short leg 6 as shown in FIGURE 3, or the sections may be connected side-by-side by applying similar nut and bolt combinations in the bolt holes 7 in the long leg 5.

In the embodiment of the prefabricated shelving structure represented in the drawings, the short leg 6 of each of the posts 2 are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shelves 4, and the long legs 5 are parallel to the transverse axis of the shelves. With this arrangement the shelves have a greater width than they have depth, and only a small portion of the U-shaped channel 17 of the clip 3 is exposed to view as all nuts and bolts connecting the adjacent posts are to the rear of the section or are concealed by the post legs 6. If it is desirable to have the shelves deeper than they are wide, this result can be obtained by lifting the shelves 4 out of engagement with the clips 3 and turning the shelves through ninety degrees in a hori zontal plane and engaging them once again with the clips. Further, when the shelving sections are fastened side-by-side or back-to-back, the altering of width for depth can be accomplished without the necessity of unbolting adjacent posts 2 or removing the clips 3.

The shelf supporting boltless clip of the present invention provides a number of important advantages. The clip is of simple configuration and can be readily secured to a post member for support of a shelf corner or repositioned on the post for adjustment of the vertical height and spacing of the shelf independent of adjacent posts, shelves and clips. The clip inter-acts with the shelf and post to provide a unitary shelf structure having improved strength and rigidity thereby minimizing the multiplicity of cross braces normally required while permitting an increase of the shelf load carrying capacity. The need for bolts for securing the clips to the posts is obviated resulting in important savings in materials and labour. The resulting shelf structure has no bolt heads protruding from external faces and a minimum of bolt holes formed in the posts thereby enhancing the aesthetic qualities of the structure.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a prefabricated shelving structure having a plurality of angle section posts, a shelf supporting clip including a horizontally extending lug having a horizontal shelf supporting top edge and having a bottom edge in which there is an upwardly extending vertical slot engageable with a post of the prefabricated shelving structure to secure the clip to the post whereby the clip and a shelf of the prefabricated shelving structure are vertically and laterally supported, and said clip including a U- shaped channel so disposed to be engageable with an edge of the said post of the prefabricated shelving structure whereby the clip and the shelf are laterally supported.

2. In a prefabricated shelving structure having a plurality of angle section corner posts, a shelf supporting clip including a hook means engageable with a post of the prefabricated shelving structure to vertically [support the clip and a shelf of the prefabricated shelving structure and to provide uni-directional lateral support for the clip and the shelf, and said clip including a U-shaped channel means engageable with an edge of the said post to provide lateral support for the clip and the shelf in a direction at right-angles to the direction of the said uni-directional lateral support.

3. In a prefabricated shelving structure having angle section posts, a shelf supporting clip comprising an angle having a pair of vertical edges and including a hook-shaped lug extending from one of the vertical edges of the angle and engageable with a post of the prefabricated shelving structure whereby the clip and a shelf of the prefabricated shelving structure are vertically supported and are laterally supported uni-directionally, and said angle including a U-shaped channel portion extending from the other of the vertical edges of the angle for engagement with an edge of said post whereby the clip and the shelf are laterally supported in a direction at right angles to the direction of the said uni-directional lateral support.

4. In a prefabricated shelving structure having a plurality of posts, a shelf supporting clip comprising a first rectangularly shaped plane, a second similarly shaped plane contiguous with and disposed perpendicularly to the first to form an angle, a lug forming a continuation of the first plane and extending beyond a vertical adge of the said plane, said lug having a horizontal shelf supporting top edge and having a bottom edge that is shaped in conjunction with the said vertical edge to form a bight engageable with a post of the prefabricated shelving structure to secure the said vertical edge to the post whereby the clip and a shelf of the prefabricated shelving structure are vertically and lateral-1y supported, and a U-shaped channel portion connected to a vertical edge of the second plane and extending perpendicularly therefrom, said U-s-h-aped channel being so disposed as to be engageable with a vertical edge of the said post of the prefabricated shelving structure whereby the clip and shelf are laterally supported.

5. In a shelving structure having a plurality of angle posts each with a short leg and a long leg at substantially right angles to each other and a plurality of equispaced slots formed along said post long leg, a shelf supporting clip formed of an angle having a hook formed along one side of said angle adapted to be inserted in one of said slots for rigid engagement with said post long leg ,and a channel formed along the other side of said angle adapted to be wrapped about the post short leg for providing vertical and lateral support to said clip,

5 and means formed in said clip for supporting the corner of a shelf.

6. In a shelving structure as claimed in claim 5, said post short leg having an offset portion for receiving the clip channel such that said channel is substantially coplanar with the outer surface of the said post leg.

7. In a shelving structure having a plurality of angle posts each with a pair of legs turned at right angles to each other and a plurality of elongated slots formed longitudinally along one of said legs and at least one shelf having downwardly flanged longitudinal and lateral edges, a clip for supporting a corner of said shelf comprising a pair of planes at substantially right angles to each other, one of said planes having a lug portion forming an extension of said plane adapted to be inserted in one of said slots for rigid but removable engagement with the post leg and the other of said planes having a U-shaped channel portion extending perpendicularly from the plane for rigid but removable engagement with the edge of the other post leg, and means formed in the clip for supporting the shelf.

8. In a shelving structure having a plurality of angle posts each with a pair of legs turned at right angles to each other and a plurality of elongated slots formed longitudinally along one of said legs and at least one shelf having downwardly flanged longitudinal and lateral edges, a clip for supporting a corner of said shelf comprising a pair of planes at substantially right angles to other, one of said planes having a lug portion forming an extension of said plane adapted to be inserted in one of said slots for rigid but removable engagement with the post leg and the other of said planes having a U-shaped channel portion extending perpendicularly from the plane for rigid but removable engagement with the other post leg, said pair of planes defining elongated spaces between the lateral edges of the planes and the opposing post walls for receiving a flanged edge of the shelf for vertical and lateral support of said shelf.

9. A shelf supporting clip for use with angle section metal posts comprising an angle section member having a hook portion extending beyond the edge of one side thereof and intended to engage in a slot in one side of a post and having a channel portion extending outwardly normal to the other side thereof and intended to embrace the edge of the other side of the post with the sides of the clip disposed oppositely to the sides of the post.

10. A shelf supporting clip as claimed in claim 9, in which the sides thereof beyond the hook and channel portions are of reduced width to that when in use such reduced width portions in conjunction with the sides of a post form slots in which may engage flanges at the edge of a shelf.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,577,066 3/1926 Med art et al l08109- 1,880,179 9/1932 Onions et al 108107 X 2,005,593 6/1935 Onions et al. 108109 X 2,719,633 10/1955' Rosenberg 21l148 X 2,760,650 8/1956 Franks 211148 2,925,920 2/1960 Skubic 108107 2,081,717 3/1963 Yurevich 108107 3,125,970 3/1964 Schneider 108109 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,242,630 4/1960 France.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

J. T. MCCALL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A PREFABRICATED SHELVING STRUCTURE HAVING A PLURALITY OF ANGLE SECTION POSTS, A SHELF SUPPORTING CLIP INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL EXTENDING LUG HAVING A HORIZONTAL SHELF SUPPORTING TOP EDGE AND HAVING A BOTTOM EDGE IN WHICH THERE IS AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING VERTICAL SLOT ENGAGEABLE WITH A POST OF THE PREFABRICATED SHELVING STRUCTURE TO SECURED THE CLIP TO THE POST WHEREBY THE CLIP AND A SHELF OF THE PREFABRICATED SHELVING STRUCTURE ARE VERTICALLY AND LATERALLY SUPPORTED, AND SAID CLIP INCLUDING A USHAPED CHANNEL SO DISPOSED TO BE ENGAGEABLE WITH AN EDGE OF THE SAID POST OF THE PREFABRICATED SHELVING STRUCTURE WHEREBY THE CLIP AND THE SHELF ARE LATERALLY SUPPORTED. 